Bodybuilders "big tough" road bike.

rick694

My hero is Jens Voight. But unfortunately I'm not built like him!

At 48, for the first time in 30 years, I'm back into my cycling again with my Trek 4500 mountain bike. But I want to buy a road bike to do the further miles. I'm 6'2" and 17 stone, although on the way to 15 stone by the end of July, which I hope to maintain.

Is there anything I should ensure to look out for with a road bike? Type of frame, forks or wheels, etc to support the extra weight? I'll be losing 2 stone fat, but still be a big old lump!

Thanks
Rick

Squillinossett

Hi, much like you I was at 17.8 stone Bodybuilder when I got my Trek 1.5, having to stop after an ongoing injury to my AC joint (yet to be sorted)

Most lower end bikes will be fine from what I looked at as they dont use light weight components!

p.s, you wont believe how fast the muscle will drop off, one year on and I am nearly 3 stone lighter! :shock:

STEFANOS4784

Well i'm a 10 stone weakling.....

... Hope this helps

rick694

Squillinossett wrote:

Hi, much like you I was at 17.8 stone Bodybuilder when I got my Trek 1.5, having to stop after an ongoing injury to my AC joint (yet to be sorted)

Most lower end bikes will be fine from what I looked at as they dont use light weight components!

p.s, you wont believe how fast the muscle will drop off, one year on and I am nearly 3 stone lighter! :shock:

Cheers Squillinosset,

Great bikes you have, especially the Boardman - very cool. I might try another Trek, as I've been very happy with mine, entry-level, like you suggest.

Bet you're like a bullet, 3 stone lighter!

Squillinossett

Ha, well I wouldnt say bullet, just less of an air brake!

Still going to drop another stone or so, must admit, I prefer the cycling lifestyle compared to my old Bodybuilding one, I can enjoy alcohol now! and Food, proper food!!!

The Alu PX or Ribble also look solid options.

rick694

Squillinossett wrote:

The Alu PX or Ribble also look solid options.

Sorry, it's still early! Excuse the brain-fade, but which/what are Alu PX and Ribble? :?

Squillinossett

Planet-x (PX) used to have a bike listed built using this frame:

http://www.planet-x-bikes.co.uk/i/q/FRP ... -alu-frame

Seen on in the flesh and looks really quite nice, also you will get good spec for the money. Worth giving them a ring tomorrow to see if they still do builds.

Ribble:

http://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/bikebuild ... type=RIBMO

£790 sees you with a 7005SL with Veloce & Khamsin specced.

Forgot to add, they boardmans might be worht a look as as well, as you can get the alu framed one with rival groupset for the same money:

http://www.boardmanbikes.com/road/road_team.html

These are ideas, what is your budget?

rick694

I'm probably in the "around £500" bracket for this one. This will probably become my winter bike, like you have, when I move up the scale.

Also, having just read through the sticky thread above, the best time to buy might be season end, when I can go for the previous years spec.

Is season-end around July time? I'm thinking I should be down to 15 stone by then, so will also have more choice!

BTW, I don't know how old you are, but do you remember Kal Szkalak, bodybuilder around the Arnold era? He's now competing in US cycling at a near-Pro standard at 55+ years! 8)

Squillinossett

I know if him , just not too much, im 24, so more the Flex to Cutler era

uphillbothways

Any quality aluminium frame should be fine. Your biggest issue will be wheels - don't go for anything lightweight and spiffy looking. You want traditional 36-spoke wheels with good sturdy rims. If I were you, I'd look at a second-hand steel-framed tourer from the likes of Dawes or Claud Butler. Not particularly glamourous, not particularly lightweight, but very solidly built and perfectly suitable for anything short of racing. Tourers are built to handle the stresses of carrying 30kg of luggage, so are ideal if you're carrying a bit of extra weight yourself.

I think a lot of bigger riders who go for race-oriented machines really end up regretting it. A race bike is like a racing car, it's a brittle machine designed for light weight and speed above everything else. For a relatively small weight penalty you can get a vastly sturdier machine. Have a look on some of the US cycling forums and you'll see any number of "Clydesdale" riders bemoaning their cracked forks and buckled wheels. Most of the modern innovations in bike technology have been about sacrificing durability for pure speed.

rick694

Thanks uphill..

From reading the forum, it's obvious I don't know enough about the tech detail of road bikes. Lots of the forum knowledge goes right over my head. I've put feelers out for a cheap road bike for me to learn the nuts and bolts of structure, maintenance, repair and upgrades.

I think I'll adopt an old nag, pay my dues, and make my decision from a more informed viewpoint around July time, or whenever the new models hit the shops, so I can grab an "old-spec" bargain.

thiscocks

to be honest I dont think you can go far wrong with the standard Ribble alu frame build.

http://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/bikebuild ... type=RIBMO

I bought one in 2003 when I just got into cycling and it was a brilliant bike. It would still be going strong if I hadnt felt the need to waste money on a carbon bike! Now gone to a steel frame and using most of the components which were on my original Ribble (campag mirage) for it.

Bunneh

I was riding a Ribble road frame at around 18 stone, never had any problems at all. Check the local cycles shops for maybe a second hand machine; something you can start out easily on and get your confidence up. 3 of my local shops do Part Ex on new bikes and thus they sometimes have those PE bikes available for sale.

Aud Reekie MTB

What sort of weight is an issue?

I'm just under 14st and 6'2". Will the sub 1500g Pro Lite Braccianos I have just ordered cope?